


If At First You Don't Succeed...

by lah_mrh



Category: Lemmings (Video Games)
Genre: Comically Inept Lemmings, Gen, POV First Person, Temporary Character Death, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lah_mrh/pseuds/lah_mrh
Summary: All they have to do is get from the trapdoor to the exit. How hard can it be?
Comments: 22
Kudos: 41
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	If At First You Don't Succeed...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silveradept](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/gifts).



> This isn't based on any specific level, more like an amalgamation of several. Hope you enjoy!

My first mission! I look around at my team and I just know we're going to do great. The best team in Lemmington, just you wait and see.

Oh, the trapdoor's opening! Step forward, step forward, and... here we go!

Wow, I didn't think it would be this high. The ground's coming up really fast, though. A little too fast, actually. Maybe I should open my umbrell-

*

Ow, that hurt. No matter though, I know what to do now, next time will be better.

There's the trapdoor. Here we go again!

Falling, falling...

Opening my umbrella... now!

Oh, that's much better. "Hey, everybody, open your umbrellas!"

Lots of umbrellas opening above me, good... except Lemmy. I don't see an umbrella, and she's falling pretty fast. "Lemmy, you have to-!"

*

Lemmy forgot her umbrella, but it's okay, I found her one.

The trapdoor's opening. Third time lucky!

Falling, falling. All umbrellas opened and landing... _now_.

The counter says we've got two minutes – actually one minute and fifty five seconds – so we'd better get a move on.

Okay, up this hill, getting higher... Path's blocked. Well, let's see what's back the other way. Probably nothing, but it never hurts to lo-

*

Oops. Turns out there's a pit back there. It's really deep, too. Oh well, at least we know now.

Trapdoor, falling, landing... 

If we can't go the other way, then we'll have to get through the wall. It doesn't look too tough, maybe I can tunnel through it. 

Hey, this is easier than I thought! I'm making pretty good progress-

*

...I might have forgotten to warn the others about the pit. My bad! But they know now, and Lemma has agreed to stand guard and make sure that no one else falls into it.

Falling, landing, tunnelling...

We're down to one minute thirty eight by the time we make it out the other side. It's a short drop to the ground, but nothing we can't handle. 

I can see the exit. It's pretty high up, though. We're going to have to find a way up there. 

How do you get up? You climb. I go first, scaling my way up the wall little by little. If it works, the others can follow me later. 

Oops, hit a ledge and lost my grip. Lucky I still have my umbrella, so it's not as bad as it could have been.

The others are still back at the bottom, pacing back and forth. I join them, thinking hard. Climbing might not have worked, but I'm not giving up here. If we can't climb... then maybe we can build! That's what the bricks are for, right?

I don't know how much space I'll need, so I start as far back as possible, at the edge of the tunnel, and start building a staircase. It's easy to fall into a rhythm, get brick, place brick, get brick, place brick, get brick, place brick. One set of bricks isn't nearly enough to get all the way up, so I have to keep going.

Thirty-nine seconds left and I'm nearly there. Just a few more bricks...

We're out of bricks. How can we be out of bricks?

I'm so close to the platform, but I can't close the gap without more bricks. I try climbing again, but that ledge is still there and I can't get up, and time is running out.

Three, two, one-

*

I looked around, but there's no more bricks. Maybe if I start building a little closer I won't need so many? That's worth a try, right?

Falling, landing, tunnelling, building...

Hah! Made it to the platform! Now all I have to do is walk across and-

*

Ow. There's some kind of trap up there, right in front of the exit. It shocked me really hard - Lemmy said she saw my whole skeleton.

Why can't things ever be easy?

Thinking, thinking... We can't build over the trap because we don't have any more bricks, but maybe we can dig _under_ it?

I dig down until I'm sure we're under the trigger, then start tunnelling across.

Tunnelling, tunnelling, tunnell-

*

I tunnelled all the way under the exit and into another pit. Guess I dug down too far. But I know better now!

Falling, landing, tunnelling, building, digging, tunnelling...

There's the exit! I made it! And with seventeen seconds to spare!

"Come on, everyone!"

We pile through the door. We did it, it's over, it's-

*

It's not over. I forgot I left Lemma over by the pit. The rules are clear, _all_ of us have to make it to the exit before time runs out, or it doesn't count.

But I know what to do now, so as long as Lemma stays with us everything will be fine.

Falling, landing, tunnell-

*

Lem-Lem fell into the pit again. Said he felt a pull towards it. I asked if that'd happen next time, and he said he didn't know.

Okay, let me think. There's a bunch of extra explosive here. Maybe Lemma could guard the pit and then use it to free himself?

Falling, landing, tunnelling, building, digging, tunnelling...

Into the exit, and-

*

That didn't work. Turns out the explosive didn't free Lemma, it blew him up. Hmm. Maybe if we got someone to mine under him and free him that way?

*

No, that just leads back to the pit.

I don't know what to do. I can't keep anyone by the pit to guard it, because then they won't make it to the exit, and I can't leave it unguarded, because someone might walk into it.

Wait, I think I have an idea! If everyone helps me tunnel, they'll be distracted enough that they won't have the chance to get near the pit. It might work, right?

Falling, landing, tunnelling...

Success! Everyone's here, and no one fell into the pit.

Building, digging, tunnelling...

Through the doors.. and into the exit!

We made it! Twelfth time's the charm!

Wow, that was _hard_. But I'm sure next time will be easier!

My team's really happy we made it. It just goes to show, if you work hard, and try your best, you can achieve anything. 

Can't wait to see what's in store next for the best team in Lemmington!


End file.
